A hashtag was actually a pound sign the last time Colorado’s front office selected a Russian-born player in the first round of the NHL draft.

Left winger Mikhail Kuleshov was taken 25th by the Avalanche in 1999. He spent the better part of three years in the AHL with Hershey before coming to Denver. Kuleshov’s NHL career amounted to zero points over three games.

Kuleshov’s name could be relevant soon. The Avs are picking 16th and they might take one of two Russians with their first-round choice.

“I think some of the guys on talent alone make sense,” said Corey Pronman, The Athletic’s senior NHL prospects writer. “Vitali Kravtsov and Grigory Denisenko. That’s if they are willing to take them in the first round and they have not taken a Russian-born player in the top two rounds since the year 2000 when they took Sergei Soin and the year before, Mikhail Kuleshov.”